What If Juliet
by DDerby95
Summary: Romeo and Juliet, a classic play we all know for its romantic yet and tragic ending. But what if their romantic relationship was caught? What if Juliet couldn't take her potion in time, dying to live with Romeo? This is what would have happened.


**The story starts with Juliet in her room, the day before she must marry Paris, debating on whether or not to take the sleeping potion in order to be with Romeo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Romeo and Juliet, nor any material, setting or ideas.**

I sat on my bed, cradling the bottle to my chest, and mustering up the last bit of my courage to tip the clear liquid into my mouth. I trust Friar, with my life. Otherwise I wouldn't have told him of my love for Romeo and asked for his help. It's just that I haven't ever been this close to death before. With one sip of this potion I will slip into a deathly sleep and awake in the tomb of my family with Romeo to whisk me away to a place where we can live together freely. It doesn't sound so bad when I think of it that way, but what if the effects are too strong? What if I die and never see my Romeo again?

I close my eyes and breathe deep breaths to calm my frantic nerves. There is only one question I need to ask myself to know if I should continue, and I already know the answer. Will I die for him? I lift the vile, pop off the cork holding back my slumber and lift it to my lips. I take one last gulp of air and prepare for my last look on life.

"What on earth are you doing?" screams my mother from across the room. I gasp and drop the potion, spilling it onto my new sheets and the clean floor. The liquid leaks into the cracks and disappears below the floor, never to be taken. I cover my mouth and stare wide eyed at my mother as she glares at the bottle on the floor.

"What is that? Juliet you will answer your mother! Come here child and explain this to me!" I drag myself off the bed and sluggishly walk to the opposite side of the room knowing what's to come next is unpleasant.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" I stutter and try to sound confident, but fail miserably. She found out! What am I to do? I can never be with my love. I'll be stuck with that vile Paris my parents are forcing me to marry! No! No! No! It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"I came to give you a last wish and say how happy I am that you came to your senses about your marriage. But apparently I was mistaken! Tell me child, what was in that vile?" I stare at the floor, not meeting her eyes for she will see right through my plan the moment she sees my face.

"Juliet! Answer me!" She grabs my shoulders and forces me to look at her. Tears slowly creep out of my eyes and I start sobbing into my sleeve. If I was smarter I would have told her that it was a special drink that Nurse made me to help with the nerves of the marriage or just some water from the fountain. But my thoughts couldn't make a coherent sentence and I stood looking like a fool in front of my own mother.

"If you won't answer me, then I'll find out the answers on my own you ungrateful child!" She rushed to the vile and picked it up. She swirled around the leftover contents and pushed the cork back on to contain the leftover drops.

"I'll bring this to Friar. He'll know what sort of trickery you were performing at this hour!" She grabs my arm and shoves me out of my room and into the hall. She tugs me down the hall while shouting at me about the punishment I'll receive for my disobedient behavior to their kind generosity. I stumble and have to readjust my balance because the tears are blurring my sense of direction.

My mind rushes over the possibilities of escaping and running out of the village to meet Romeo, but all chances are less than slim and there seems to no way out of this cruel fate. And even worse, Friar will get in trouble for helping me if mother ever discovers. While I continue to think of other ideas, my mind vaguely notices that people are slowly coming into the hall to see what the commotion is about. I spot Nurse standing in her robe, looking befuddled and worried all at once.

Mother stops outside of fathers study and a shiver runs down my spine. No, not father, please not father! I plead in my head even though I know that I'm done for.

"Capulet, open up honey, Juliet has some wonderful news for us." She pounds the knocker on the door loudly and the sound echoes in my head like the last bell of midnight at the ball. But there will be not prince for me, no happily ever after.

"Coming!" Shouts my father gruffly, as though we interrupted his most important reading session. He opens the door with a tired expression and looks down at me solemnly.

"Come on in." He stands aside and my mother enters. I turn to look back, watching everyone's face that came to see the trouble at this late hour. Everyone looks at me with a sad expression, as though they already knew that I was going to leave them. My eyes lock with Nurse and she smiles a short strained smile, trying to let me know that she still cares, but it doesn't help. I turn back and step inside the study.

This is where everything changes.

**Thank you for reading. Please rate and review. All comments, good or bad, are appreciated!**


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